Is This Bronc Riding or Team Roping?

It was Thanksgiving weekend.  I was feeling very thankful…thankful for all the blessings I have in my life including my ability to own and rope on nice horses.  So why the heck have my horses been sitting for a month and a half with nobody riding them?  I have been going to the chiropractor now for about a month and I was finally starting to feel better.  After a fun night out in Fort Worth, I decided I would wake up and go rope at a little, local jackpot on Sunday.  Because I haven’t been on Kid Rock in over a month and I know how he is, I got up nice and early and saddled him.  Then I went in and showered and ate breakfast and watched the news.  I finally mustered up the nerve to go out and lope him for a while.  I knew I had better lope him down really well before taking him to a jackpot.  He was liable to lawn dart my butt if I just climbed on, rode in the box, said a prayer, and nodded.  After about a good 30 or 40 minute lope job, I loaded him in the trailer, and off we went! 

I started getting a little nervous as I quickly approached Bar B Arena.  What was I thinking!?  I haven’t practiced in months and I haven’t even been on my horse in just as long.  I was still recovering from the last time Kid Rock and I had a little wreck.  Another one like it and I could really be in rough shape!  I am getting entirely too old for this crap!  But, I was already in the parking lot so I might as well treat it like a practice and go have some fun.

First warning should have been when I saw that they raised the entry fees from $60 to $75.  But I entered anyway.  Second warning, they drew me an extra heading run.  I’m now up to $100.  Yeah…I need to probably win my fees back.  I back in the box on my first steer.  My nerves are a little tight, but I’m trying to stay relaxed.  Relaxed rider equals relaxed nag.  I call for my steer and he’s basically a miserable piece of crap, to say the least.  He breaks slow, he runs hard, he runs left, he runs right…I’m just running behind him trying to get a shot with no luck what-so-ever.  First steer and I don’t even get to throw my rope.  Awesome.  I apologize to my heeler.  That was pretty embarrassing, but I’m just glad that I didn’t get bucked off! 

My second steer wasn’t much better than my first, but I roped him and waved it off.  This was turning out to be a spectacular day for me!  Oh, but it gets worse…much worse! 

I call for my third steer.  I break the barrier but I turn him, and my heeler snags a leg.  18.5…not good, but it’s a time and in this roping, 3 down equals money.  My fourth steer is where things went wrong.  I nod my head.  My horse gets out perfect.  I throw my rope.  The steer stops.  I grab a quick dally.  I look back and see I have one horn.  I start to undally.  My horse starts bucking.  And bucking.  And bucking.  I am riding him.  I am trying to pull up his head and get undallied all at the same time.  Pretty soon, I feel myself starting to hang off the side.  I know I can pull myself in the saddle if I could just get rid of this friggin’ rope!!  Too late, I know I’m going down.  I think to myself, “This isn’t too bad.  I’m not going to hit hard.”  I held onto the reins as I hit the dirt on the left side of my mid-back.  Thank God, I didn’t land on my head again!  I didn’t even tweak my neck!  Although I am livid pissed, I am ok.  I think about being really mad at my horse, but he is just standing there looking at me.  He may be an asshole, but he’s not an idiot so I still don’t dislike him.  I get up and instantly feel pain in my back on that left side.  Cracked ribs?  Yep…probably.  I gather myself up and dust myself off.  To belly kick him or not to belly kick him?  That is the question.  Everyone is looking.  Eff it…I belly kick him one time.  He doesn’t even flinch and I feel like even more of a jack ass.  A few people ride up and ask me if I’m ok and I let them know I am.  I may be a little sore, but I am far from too hurt to finish roping.  Besides, I have one down and that’s my only chance at money today.  “Get it together,” I tell myself.  I ride out of the arena away from everyone and give Kid Rock a quick Come-To-Jesus pep talk (better known as an ass whippin’ for all you horse people).

I back in the box to rope my second round steer.  My horse works amazing and we have a clean run.  We are sitting low in the high teams, but I am well aware that the short round typically falls apart at this roping.  Sure enough, the five teams sitting ahead of me miss.  I go out and rope my steer and my heeler snags another leg.  One more team to go.  If they miss, I win the money and the buckle.  What are the odds of that happening?  Get bucked off and then come back to win the same roping?!  Ha!  Just my luck, the last team misses.  I win the roping after being bucked off, breaking out, and having my heeler rope two legs!  Call me Lady Luck! 

It just goes to show you that everyone has bad days.  Sometimes, it’s not just about your skill, but also your luck.  I easily could have ridden out of that arena not just empty handed, but also hurt pretty badly.  But, I kept a positive attitude and had faith in myself and in God, and once again, it proved to be the right thing to do.  God always has your back.  As long as you believe in Him and pray to Him often, He will take care of you.  You have to BELIEVE that He has your best interest at heart.  You have to BELIEVE that HE WILL NOT FORSAKE YOU!  I have stepped up in my ability this year as a roper.  I have taken on a horse that is not as easy as a few of the horses that I have had in the past, but he is a much higher caliber horse.  And although he tests me from time to time, I have won more on him in the short time that I have had him than I have on any other horse.  I don’t know why he does the things he does.  I have had a lot of people say, “There’s too many good horses out there to ride a bad one!”  Well, maybe I’m crazy.  Maybe he will hurt me so bad that I can’t ride anymore.  Hell, maybe he’ll kill me.  But every time you climb on horse, you take that chance.  Every time you get in a car, you take that chance.  Every time you cross the street, you take that chance!  That doesn’t mean you quit doing it!  Obviously, I love a challenge.  Kid Rock is not malicious or stupid.  He is just quirky.  He doesn’t buck super hard and he doesn’t do it continuously.  It’s just once in a while. 

So, I’ll continue to take my chances with my quirky horse because although he sometimes puts me on the “Injured” list, I still love the silly booger.  You have to listen to your own heart.  And that goes for anything in life.  It’s ok to take advice from others, but at the end of the day, you just have to pray about it and make up your own mind.

Roper Girl updates:

I will be going home for Christmas this year.  It will be my first holiday home in 2 years!  I fully intend on enjoying every second possible with my family and friends (not horseback!).

It is confirmed that I will be roping in the Reno Rodeo All Girl this year with Erin Marie Jasper.  We were supposed to rope last year, but unforeseen circumstances made that impossible.  We are fully prepared to enter up and kick butt this year.

I am very sad that I was unable to attend the World Series and NFR in Vegas this year.  I am hoping that if I rope anywhere near as good in 2015 as I did this last year, I will qualify for the World Series and have the opportunity to rope for more money than I have ever dreamed of! 

I intend on hauling Kid Rock out for the All Girl and continuing to rope on Solo as a practice and small jackpot horse.  I would like to start breakaway roping and even heeling on Solo next year.  My idea is to haul Kid Rock out in June and leave him with some friends for a couple of months.  I will then be able to fly out for certain ropings such as Taylorsville over the 4th and my dad's roping in August and not take any days off of work and not have to haul my horse out every time.  This will give me an opportunity to actually ride my own horse at these ropings versus borrowing a horse every time. 

Getting bucked off may have been the best thing for me.  I don't know if it was the combination of months of chiropractic work and hitting the ground just right or what, but after the pain from initially hitting the ground subsided, I felt like a million bucks.  My chiropractor and I both are surprised that I no longer feel any back or neck pain at all since I hit the ground that day.  When I went in for my appointment yesterday, we both were shocked at how easily my back popped and moved (something that we had struggled with for well over a month of appointments!).  Blessings happen in ways that we would never ever expect!

Thank you to all of my avid readers!  Without your support, none of this would be possible!  I am so blessed!

Roper fast, my friends, and have a blessed day!